The Netherlands are doing worse than the UK - because they are using austerity!!!

http://benjaminstudebaker.com/2015/05/06/13-terrible-tory-counterarguments/ We also have research from the IMF stating that this correlation exists and explaining what causes it–the multiplier effect. When the government eliminates a dollar of spending, the person who would have received that dollar must also reduce spending. For instance, if the government cuts a teacher’s salary, that teacher might not buy a new car, which means lower sales for the car dealership, the car manufacturer, and the other industries that serve the manufacturer. If the government cuts many people’s salaries (or worse, fires people), this can add up to a significant amount of money that is not moving through the economy, resulting in losses for many businesses. These businesses may try to remain solvent by cutting wages or laying off their own workers, thereby decreasing those workers’ purchasing power, and so on in a negative feedback loop. These businesses also have less income to pay tax on, so the government collects less revenue, worsening its fiscal position. The IMF talked about that, too. Fraud: In 2012-2013, fraud only accounted for 2.1% of the welfare budget. In other years the figure is as low as 0.7%. People who make the fraud argument are deeply misinformed about the basics of this debate. Research shows that on average, British voters think that 27% of the welfare budget is lost to fraud, which is wildly inaccurate. Iraq: The Tories supported the Iraq War too. Do we really believe that a Tory government wouldn’t have joined the Bush administration in Iraq? Do we really think that without British support, America would have stayed out of Iraq? I think the answer to both questions is clearly “no”. In any case, Iraq is a foreign policy issue, and it has nothing to do with the efficacy (or lack thereof) of the coalition government’s austerity policies. Britain is now acting like the United States sometimes does. It’s ignoring the international research on austerity, becoming too consumed with its own narrow domestic debate. The international research is clear, but too many British people are living in denial, presuming that Britain is the exception to the rule. When my country denies the efficacy of single payer or gun control, I hope that foreign writers step up and point out our error. When I see Britain making the same kind of mistake with austerity, I step up and point it out not to insult or deride Britain, but to help it be a better place for all of its people.